The Orange has made it interesting. A T-shirt hanging on a rack in a local Wegmans said it all: Cardiac Cuse.

"You know, it's one thing being in close games," SU coach Jim Boeheim said. "It's another thing being in the type of jeopardy we've gotten ourselves into in a couple of games."

Still, the record stayed pristine, the No. 1 status secured for another week.

In Boston College, the 25-0 Orange meet a 6-19 Eagles team that pushed the Orange to the brink when these teams met on Jan. 13 in the Conte Forum. SU outscored the Eagles 25-9 over the final 12 minutes of the game to wrest control. Trevor Cooney led SU with 21 points, just six of those coming from the 3-point line.

Here are five things to watch when Syracuse hosts Boston College tonight at 7 in the Carrier Dome:

Lonnie Jackson

The 6-foot-4 junior guard from Boston College sank 6-of-9 from the 3-point line in that January game. His 18 points represented a substantial chunk of BC's overall offensive output vs. the Orange.

SU coaches spent the last part of their Monday practice reinforcing the idea that Jackson should be guarded. It will be interesting to see how much he plays.

When Jackson inflicted his shooting damage on the Orange, he was in BC's starting lineup. He played 33 minutes vs. SU. He is now coming off the bench. In the Eagles' Sunday loss to Notre Dame, Jackson played 18 minutes and scored three points.

He averages 7.6 points and 23.5 minutes per game this season.

Boston College's offense

The Eagles shot 50 percent vs. SU's zone and made 9-of-21 shots from 3-point range. BC has shot 50 percent or better against one other ACC team this year — Georgia Tech.

The Orange ranks second in the ACC in field-goal percentage defense. SU is forcing teams to shoot 39 percent against its zone.

The first time these teams met this season, Jackson and Ryan Anderson were the primary offensive perpetrators against the Orange. Jackson frustrated SU with the 3-ball; Anderson is capable of catching the ball in the high post and scoring in a variety of ways.

Syracuse's offense

The Orange is experiencing something of an offensive swoon, particularly in these past two games, when SU has shot 39 percent in contests that required extreme late-game intervention.

C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis are a combined 17-of-48 in those two games. But Boston College might be just the offensive elixir Syracuse needs.

The Eagles rank last in the ACC in field-goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense. Teams are shooting 48 percent vs. the Eagles overall and 39 percent from 3-point range.

Since the teams last met, BC has added 6-foot-11 freshman center Will Magarity and 6-5 freshman forward Garland Owens to its starting lineup to help shore up its defensive deficiencies.

B.C.'s turnovers

The Orange in general and Trevor Cooney in particular feasted on Eagles' mistakes in Boston. SU outscored Boston College 19-9 in points off turnovers. Cooney, with his three steals, turned the Conte Forum into his own personal dunking palace.

B.C., a team that is minus-.33 in turnover margin and ranks sixth in the ACC in that category, cannot afford to give away points.

The first time these teams met this year, SU had 13 steals in the game. BC turned it over 16 times.

The SU big men

Baye Moussa Keita is likely to return from his two-game hiatus, when he nursed a sprained right knee sustained in the first half of the Clemson game. He has practiced this week and will wear a brace to protect that knee. Both Keita and Boeheim have said Keita will play vs. Boston College.

His presence gives the Orange more flexibility along its front line. In Boston last month, Jerami Grant, Rakeem Christmas and Keita each managed to accumulate four fouls.

And yet, the Orange outscored the Eagles 32-12 in the paint. A confident, more capable Christmas will likely improve upon the foul-plagued 14 minutes he logged at BC, when he scored four points and grabbed a single rebound.